


Underwater

by MVgetanAttitude



Series: Monsta X Hybrid AU (The Tails of Kitty Kyun!) [1]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Aquaphobia, Cat Hybrid Changkyun, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrids, I lied chapter 2 is DIRTY, Im Changkyun | I.M-centric, M/M, NO.MERCY references, Panic Attacks, Protective Hyungs, RUSH Era, chapter 2 is all cuddles, somehow this went very heavy on the ChangKiHo, sorry minhyuk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-02-10 07:02:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18655357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MVgetanAttitude/pseuds/MVgetanAttitude
Summary: Changkyun told Minhyuk that he didn’t like water.Really, what did the others expect?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hey y’all wazappenin
> 
> This is my first (ish) work in the Monsta X fandom, or basically any fandom that isn’t iKON lmao. 
> 
> Originally started in my Hybrid iKON AU, I brought in the idea of a separate Kitty Kyun fic and a decent amount of people seemed interested, so I thought I’d do a thing yeet.
> 
> My Kitty Hanbin fics are my actual babies, and I have a few (bad) iKON fics, so I would really appreciate if you checked those out :p
> 
> Onto the story!!

Changkyun was startled awake by a low hiss.

For a moment, he didn’t know where he was, or what he was doing there.

It was a few minutes of darting eyes and raspy breaths before he realized that the hiss had come from him, and he was the only person in the room.

The room being one of three bedrooms in the seaside condo they were staying in for a few days, maknae line in one room with the others split in the remaining two.

It was another few moments, and slightly calmer breathing, before Changkyun placed why that was _wrong._

He was always awake before Jooheon and Hyungwon.

And if he wasn’t, Kihyun woke him up.

It wasn’t helping that the dream he had was from just a few months ago, the events of No.Mercy still so dizzyingly clear in his memory.

Changkyun almost wished he could say that those were the loneliest days if his life, but somehow, they weren’t.

Not even close.

Not when he had spent years moving from place to place, bullied for being different from them, an outsider, only made worse by the two twitching ears and skinny tail that grabbed everyone’s attention.

It was probably safe to say that he knew more English insults than Korean.

Ignoring the way his ears stayed tucked back against his head, the way the lights almost felt like they were burning his skin, the way his brain kept playing back old and new memories of loud voices and sharp words, he got up.

He couldn’t afford to give the others any more of a reason to dislike him, not when they had finally started to warm up to him.

Well, maybe ‘warming up’ was too nice, more like begrudgingly accepted that he had been the one to steal the spot of one of their friends.

So, yeah. Pretty unusual for Changkyun to be the last one awake, especially since he learned early on that not waking up on his own usually meant not getting breakfast.

Now dressed in a baggy hoodie and jeans, Changkyun made his way out to the kitchen, expecting to find six sleepy boys gathered at the table, but instead finding an empty room.

Several empty rooms.

They left without him.

They’ve never left without him.

Not even in the very beginning, when Jooheon wouldn’t, couldn’t, look at him and Minhyuk only ever spoke about him, never to him.

They never left him behind.

Changkyun was almost to the point of crawling back to bed before he remembered the conversation the others had over pork skewers last night.

Minhyuk and Jooheon had wanted to go to the beach, Changkyun and Hyungwon had wanted to go see the shops.

Minhyuk and Jooheon quickly won that argument.

Changkyun had used his cat features as an excuse to avoid the water at all costs, apparently they had taken that as Changkyun not wanting to go at all.

Being part cat actually had nothing to do with it.

Well, not for the reason everyone probably thought, at least.

The idea of all the others being together made him nervous.

Who knew what they were saying about him?

Did they think he was trying to isolate himself because he thought he was above them?

He knew he wasn’t, but Minhyuk had made a ‘joke’ that Changkyun seemed to think he was better than them, even thought that wasn’t true.

Kihyun was a better singer than him (they all were), Hyunwoo and Hyungwon were better dancers (again, they all were), Hoseok was more attractive (see prior notes), and Minhyuk was a hell of a lot more charming.

The one thing, the _one thing_ Changkyun thought he was good at, Jooheon was still better.

The only title Changkyun had that was his and his alone, was as Monsta X’s maknae.

And he wasn’t even good at that.

Changkyun didn’t want to stay alone in the small condo by himself, and he didn’t want his hyungs to think he didn’t want to participate in group activities, so he did something he truly didn’t believe would happen on this trip.

He put on his swim trunks.

The trunks still had the tags on them, Changkyun had planned to keep the navy shorts unworn to return when they got back, but he couldn’t really show up to a beach in jeans.

That didn’t mean he was going in the water, though.

Changkyun planned to stay _at least_ 5 meters away at all times.

-

Where they were staying was barely a 10 minute walk to the beach, but Changkyun was still nervous about getting lost in an unfamiliar area, except soon enough the smell of salt in the air doubled and sand was starting to fade up into the grass.

Even though they could see the ocean from their balcony, being so close was scary.

Changkyun didn’t like water.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Changkyun didn’t like water that he had no control over.

And unlike what the others thought, it had nothing to do with the cat DNA spliced into his genes.

Not completely.

Maybe coming here was a bad idea. He could already feel the fur on his tail prickle, and it looked like the others were having fun without him, he shouldn’t ruin the mood.

Just as he turned around to head back-

“Changkyunnie!”

He was immediately able to place the shout as Minhyuk, and that fact automatically set him on edge.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Minhyuk, but Minhyuk hated him.

But rather than run, Changkyun turned around to face the beach, giving the several pairs of curious eyes a slight wave, barely more than a twitch of the wrist.

Definitely a bad idea.

“Ohhhhh, Changkyunnieeeeee~” Minhyuk called again, voice saccharinely sweet as he ran up from the beach, “How nice of you to join your hyungs!”

Changkyun had almost no time to process what was happening before the other hybrid was dragging him by the wrist, laughing the entire way down.

Being part hyena, all of Minhyuk’s laughs sounded vaguely like he was up to something, so Changkyun ignored the weird feeling in his stomach as he let the elder pull him down to the cluster of umbrellas and towels that the group had placed.

“Look who decided to join us,” Minhyuk grinned, “We should feel honored to be graced with such a presence.”

Okay, that hurt. Changkyun wasn’t trying to avoid them, but the beach was probably past on his list of ideal vacation ideas, not to mention his constant worry of doing something to anger one of the others.

“Minhyuk,” Kihyun warned, “Knock it off.”

Minhyuk never let the smile drop from his face, “Alright, alright. I’ll leave the furball to you.”

He nudged Changkyun in Kihyun’s direction, almost making the cat hybrid fall as he bounded off towards Hoseok and Jooheon.

“I don’t know where he thinks he can get off on calling you a ‘furball’ considering he’s one, too,” Hyunwoo chuckled.

“So are you,” Kihyun shot back.

Walking past a dozing Hyungwon (who was already starting to burn, ouch), Changkyun awkwardly stood in front of Kihyun’s umbrella, the vocalist having claimed the space next to a tanning Hyunwoo.

“Well? What are you waiting for?” Kihyun asked, “Come sit. And take that damn hoodie off before you cook yourself.”

Changkyun noddded, quickly scurrying to do what the elder said. He stripped the hoodie off, tossing it on one of the chairs before taking a seat next to the older boy.

“Surprised to see you here, we figured you wouldn’t want to come.”

“Oh, yeah. I just…yenno. Water,” Changkyun vaguely responding, waving his hand in the direction of where he imagined the other three were playing behind him.

Kihyun gave him a look, “Is it just because you’re a cat hybrid? Because Yoongi is too, and he’s perfectly fine with water.”

Shit.

“Jaebum-ah complains about Yugyeom-ah being picky about things like that, but he claims that Yugyeom just likes to take the role of ‘bratty maknae’ too far,” Hyunwoo chimed in from his spot a few feet away, “It might just be dependent on the hybrid.”

Changkyun was very grateful for Hyunwoo.

“Plus salt water makes my tail all crusty,” Changkyun let his tail flick out, as if to emphasize his point.

Rather than answering, Kihyun just rolled his eyes as he made a playful grab for the maknae’s tail, letting the conversation change to their newest music video.

Changkyun was thankful that he could just sit and talk with the two hyungs that seemed to tolerate him the easiest, and not have to worry about any of the others harassing him.

Kihyun was loud when he was nagging them, but Changkyun liked the moments when they could comfortably sit together, or when the two of them silently moved through the kitchen together, never quite needing words when it was just the two of them.

Hyunwoo, much like the two round ears almost entirely hidden by his hair suggested, was a giant teddy bear. At first, Changkyun had been scared of the intense gaze and arm muscles the size of his waist, but he soon found out that Hyunwoo was as awkward as he was buff, and that had lead to the eldest letting Kihyun nag him into talking to Changkyun, one-on-one. Even if it was really uncomfortable when it happened, Changkyun was grateful that Kihyun had pushed the developement, giving him two hyungs to confide in.

“Hyung, you should really redye your hair,” Changkyun said, referring to the red in Kihyun’s hair that was unevenly fading into the brown.

Kihyun jokingly kicked his leg, “Yah, I will when we go home. I didn’t want to end up looking like Jooheon.”

Jooheon, never the brightest, had redyed his firetruck red hair just before they left, wanting it to look fresh for their rare vacation.

What he didn’t account for, however, was the fact that the ocean water would not only strip the color, but get red stains on almost everything it touched.

Changkyun thought Hyungwon was going to drown the rapper when Jooheon got red all over the tallest’s favorite shirt.

He shivered.

Kihyun immediately noticed, “How are you cold? It’s a bit windy, but it’s a dry wind. At most, it’s just blowing sand around.”

It wasn’t from being cold.

Shrugging, Changkyun let his mind wonder to the others. The ones that had yet to let go of the lingering hostility from that stupid survival show.

Hyungwon was getting there, the taller man now actually acknowledging him when he walked into a room. He had never been explicitly mean to him, just preferred to ignore the cat hybrid’s presence all together.

Only Minhyuk and Jooheon were truly still against his presence, Hoseok seeming to be coming around.

Changkyun knew that it was mostly out of pity, the second eldest had walked in on him crying in the company bathrooms after a few snide comments from a group of trainees. He had almost overlooked him, but at the last second Changkyun let out a quiet sob and Hoseok was immediately at his side.

It was safe to say neither of them could really look each other in the eyes without some kind of awkwardness.

“Do you…” Changkyun started, trailing off before trying again, “Do you think Minhyuk-hyung and Jooheon-hyung will ever stop hating me?”

Kihyun’s eyes quickly snapped away from his phone, gaze turning sad as he took in Changkyun’s defeated posture, “They don’t hate you, they just…they need time to adjust.”

“But, it’s been months, hyung,” Changkyun sighed, resting his chin on his drawn up knees.

He was tired.

Not just from their debut and the making of their second EP, even if that did play a big part in it, he was just tired.

Rooming with Minhyuk and Jooheon wasn’t exactly fun, either. Usually they ignored him while he was in the room, thank god, but Changkyun still waited until he was sure they were both in bed before sneaking into the room, himself.

Old habits die hard.

“Come take a walk with me.”

Suddenly Changkyun was being pulled to his feet, quickly trying to catch his balance as he looked to Kihyun in shock.

“What? You’re light.”

The words had been grumbled out, but Changkyun smiled when he noticed the underlying meaning behind the words.

“You have cute dimples,” Hyungwon sleepily murmured, “Smile more.”

If anything, that just made his smile feel a little too strained, quickly dimming down as Kihyun pursed his lips.

“Let’s go, maknae.”

Changkyun let Kihyun pull him down towards the water, only starting to pull back when they were a few meters away.

“Uh, hyung? Can we…can we not get so close?” Changkyun asked, nervously eyeing the water behind the vocalist.

Kihyun’s grip on his hand tightened, “Relax,” he said, continuing to slowly guide Changkyun forward, “Just to the shore-line, the water will barely be at your ankles.”

It didn’t matter how high the water was, what mattered was that he had no control over it. The only thing Changkyun could control was how far away he was from it.

“Please? For me?”

Changkyun’s resolved wavered slightly. Kihyun hardly pouted to get what he wanted, usually resorting to either nagging or brute force to get his way.

It was too cute.

Kihyun puffed his cheeks out.

Dammit.

“Fine,” Changkyun sighed, “And that’s it?”

Kihyun immediately brightened up, smile almost as blinding as the sun that was beating down on them, “Of course. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

It was only a few more steps before the rising waves were lapping at Changkyun’s feet, the cold water instantly making him jump and hiss in surprise.

His reaction only made Kihyun laugh, eyes turning into crescents as he let out an ugly snort.

Changkyun immediately forgot about the water.

“C’mon, you big baby,” Kihyun finally got out, leading Changkyun a little bit farther, just until the water hit their ankles as they both stood there, hands still tangled.

The water felt nice, Changkyun had to admit. It wasn’t too hot, and the sun was hidden by a thin veil of clouds, but it was still hot enough that the cool water was an instant relief.

Squeezing Kihyun’s hand, Changkyun took a deep breath, “We could…go a bit farther? If you wanted to?”

The water wasn’t as scary when he wasn’t fighting it alone, and even though Kihyun was his shortest hyung, he arguably made him feel the safest.

“Are you sure?” Kihyun asked him, smiling softly when Changkyun nodded, “Okay. We’ll go slow.”

Kihyun walked backwards, now holding onto both of Changkyun’s hands as he started humming, just barely heard from the few centimeters separating them.

Before Changkyun knew it, he could already feel the water brushing his shins, surprised at the feeling as he refused to take his eyes away from Kihyun’s.

By the time the water hit his knees, his hands started shaking.

“Are you okay?”

Changkyun nodded.

He could do it. He wanted to do it, even though he hadn’t planned for this.

Spontaneity, and all that.

“Do you want to stop?” Kihyun asked.

He did, but he also wanted to keep going.

“N-No,” Changkyun said, still not looking down, “I trust you.”

If he thought Kihyun’s earlier smiles were nice, the one he gave Changkyun at his whispered confession was breathtaking.

“Okay,” Kihyun was still smiling, “Okay, yeah. I’m really proud of you, Changkyun. Not just for this, but for everything you’ve been doing, so far. I’m sorry I was a bit harsh, in the beginning, and I happy that you trust me with this.”

“Of course, hyung. And you weren’t that harsh, you were really nice to me.”

Kihyun’s smile turned a bit sad, at that. He wasn’t that nice, but the others had made him seem like a saint, in comparison. Thankfully he got over himself rather quickly, already accepting that Changkyun would most likely make the final line-up before the last debut mission even was announced.

The water was at their waists now, and Changkyun was fairly certain that he couldn’t go any farther.

He let out a shaky breath, risking a peak down to see his tail wrapped just under his ribs, the water only a few centimeters below that.

He didn’t like it.

“Hyung, I- I don’t- I want to go back,” Changkyun stuttered, hands squeezing Kihyun’s almost painfully tight.

The elder winced as claws poked at his skin, not quite sinking in just yet, “It’s okay, Changkyunnie. It’s okay. We can stop here, but give yourself a moment to adjust. If you’re still scared, we can go back.”

Changkyun dropped his forehead onto Kihyun’s shoulder. By this point, he was fairly certain that Kihyun knew that his dislike of water was more than being part cat.

After a few minutes of Kihyun’s humming, Changkyun had calmed down enough that he was able to lift his head up, chancing a look around.

“Woah.”

They weren’t that far out, not at all, but somehow it seemed like miles away when surrounded by the bright blue water.

The water was now grazing his ribs, tail completely submerged as he realized they he wondered out slightly farther.

Changkyun turned back the way he had been facing, he hadn’t really looked anywhere but Kihyun while they were walking out, but now he couldn’t take his eyes away from where the sun was just starting to set.

He knew the ocean was big, could see that from the room of their condo, would know that without ever really seeing it, but it seemed so much bigger like this.

Maybe it wasn’t as scary as Changkyun thought.

But then he looked to Kihyun, bracing himself for another bright smile but instead finding the vocalist with wide eyes, mouth just starting to open to call out something.

“Wait-”

And then Changkyun couldn’t breathe.

He had felt hands around his ankles and was in the middle of sucking in a panicked gasp as he was pulled under, water immediately filling his mouth and nose and he couldn’t _breathe._

The saltwater burned more than the chlorine ever had, and Changkyun was thrashing around to get the hands off of him, but that only made them tighten their grip.

He didn’t know which way was up and which way was down, eyes squeezed shut as he felt his claws hit one of the hands holding him down.

Changkyun wasn’t able to stop the hands from pushing him even farther and his chest _burned_ with the effort to not breathe and he was so sure that this was going to be the last time he was ever going to have to put up with the bullies because he was going to-

He was choking.

The arms were still around his waist and he still couldn’t breathe with how hard he was coughing but he could feel the goosebumps prickle on his arms from the air and he was so scared that they were going to keep him on the edge, like they liked to do. Just wait until he finally caught his breath, only to force him back under.

“-angkyun! Changkyun! You’re okay.”

He could barely hear it over the sound of his heart beating in his ears, but he recognized the sound of his name, his Korean name, no English.

“Changkyun, breathe.”

He couldn’t. Changkyun’s lungs were still burning and he couldn’t stop coughing and the arms around his felt like they were crushing him so he struggled against them until they let go.

He felt so helpless.

Knees giving out, Changkyun almost collapsed down into the water but a different pair of hands caught him, these ones softer than the first, gentler.

Familiar.

“Come on, Kyunnie. You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

His forehead was back against Kihyun’s shoulder, hands clutching the material of the elder’s tank top so tight he was probably ripping it, but he didn’t care.

Changkyun normally hated being touched when he was panicking but Kihyun kept his hands light, two points of solid pressure just above his elbows, no arms wrapped around him.

Kihyun let Changkyun cling to him, not complaining about the soaked fur in his face, or the wet coughing against his collarbone.

“Shhh, Changkyunnie, just try to breathe,” Kihyun soothed, cautiously sliding a hand along to the cat hybrid’s back, not lifting it up to avoid scaring the younger when he placed it back down.

It was after a few more painful coughs that brought up a bit of water with each one that Changkyun finally let himself fall completely.

The ache in his chest never got the chance to let up, the coughing turned into wheezing sobs as hands, the first pair, gripped his waist to avoid him falling.

“Kyunnie, can Hoseok pick you up? We can go back to the condo,” Kihyun rubbing Changkyun’s back, trying to get the crying to calm down.

Barely able to process the question, Changkyun gave a small nod, letting Kihyun spin him around before he was pressed up against a bare chest.

The surprise at being lifted up caused a pause in his crying, eyes wide as Hoseok turned around and Changkyun’s eyes locked with Kihyun’s.

And then Minhyuk’s.

Changkyun let out another little sob as he pushed his face back against Hoseok’s neck, not wanting to look at the older hybrid.

Minhyuk had been the one to pull him under.

Minhyuk, who knew that Changkyun didn’t like water, had managed to sneak up on both Changkyun and Kihyun, leaving Jooheon and Hoseok to watch from where they had been playing.

“What happened? Is he okay?”

Hyunwoo’s voice made Changkyun try to hide as much as he could, his whole body burning from embarassment.

He could hear Hyunwoo running through the water to get to them, meaning they had already almost made it back to the beach.

Not that they were even that far out.

He was so pathetic.

“We’ll talk later,” Kihyun’s voice held no room for argument, but Hyunwoo was able to hear the slight tremor in it, “We’re going back to the condo, meet us there after you get everything.”

-

The short walk had given Changkyun enough time to calm down, but he was shivering by the time Kihyun got the door unlocked.

“Help me get him into the shower.”

Changkyun flinched away from the sound of the water turning on.

As soon as Hoseok tried to set him down, his stomach immediately turned at the heaviness of his body, squeezing his eyes shut to stop the dizzy feeling that came with gravity pulling him down.

“Okay, maybe you should go in with him.”

Slowly, Hoseok helped move Changkyun into the stall, only pulling the cat hybrid away from him to unstick his still soaked shirt from his body.

The water was warm, unlike the coolness of the ocean, and Changkyun realized just how tense he still was. Both the warm water and Hoseok’s hands were smoothing over his back and shoulders, hands slick with soap as all of the salt water and dried sweat was washed away.

Changkyun was quickly feeling himself relax under the soothing touch. As a cat hybrid, he was naturally more tactile but his shy personality and less-than-stellar childhood usually kept him from getting within touching distance of people.

“Want me to shampoo your hair?” Hoseok asked, voice quiet under the stream of water.

Normally he hated anyone touching his ears, but Changkyun was pliant in the elder’s arms, completely exhausted from the events from earlier.

So he nodded.

Having someone else wash his hair was an incredibly foreign feeling to him.

Unlike a majority of hybrids, neither of his parents were also hybrids, but rather his came from a mutation in one of his genes.

Changkyun could probably recite his father’s explanation word for word, at this point.

But growing up with two parents that weren’t expecting… _him_ , to be like he was, not to mention constantly moving around as a child, lead to him growing pretty independent at a young age.

But the fingers threading through his hair felt so nice, it made Changkyun’s chest feel warm.

“Are you…purring?”

Rather than answering, Changkyun let his tail flick up, wrapping it around Hoseok’s wrist as he continued to pur against the elder’s shoulder.

“Do you want me to wash your tail?” Hoseok hesitantly asked.

“Will you?” Changkyun lifted his head up, pouting, “Please?”

“Of course, Changkyunnie.”

-

“Okay, trunks off,” Kihyun commanded after wrapping a towel around Changkyun’s waist.

Changkyun shimmied the soaking wet shorts off, letting them fall to the floor of the tub as Hoseok did the same.

“Both of you, go get dressed. I’ll put your swimsuits in the washing machine. The others are in the living room, they’re going to get cleaned up and then we are going to be having a talk.”

Changkyun’s ears flattened at the angry tone of Kihyun’s voice, even though he knew that the elder wasn’t mad at him, but rather the situation.

Both him and Hoseok hurried off into their respective rooms, Changkyun immediately wanting to crawl up into his bunk and sleep, but he knew he couldn’t.

He was going to have to explain himself.

Laying on the single bed Hyungwon had claimed was a pair of basketball shorts and one of Kihyun’s hoodies, Changkyun recognizing it as the one the vocalist had been wearing on their late night walk through the shops.

It smelled like Kihyun’s cologne, Changkyun didn’t want to think about why that calmed him so much.

He didn’t want to go back out there, so instead he climbed into his bed, sulkily drying his tail off as he thought about how the others would react when they found out.

He was nervous.

Changkyun didn’t want to be treated differently for what had happened in the past, but at the same time he was so desperate for the others to open up to him.

“Changkyunnie?” Kihyun knocked before opening the door slightly, “Are you ready to come out now?”

“Do I have to?” Changkyun whispered back, voice tinged with a hint of a whine.

Rather than answering right away, Kihyun climbed up to peak over the edge of the bunk, taking in the maknae’s messy hair and puffy, red eyes.

“I really think you should,” Kihyun said, trying to smooth Changkyun’s semi-dry hair down, “You don’t have to talk to all of us about it, if you don’t want to, but please at least let me or Hyunwoo-hyung know?”

Changkyun nodded, pushing his head against Kihyun’s hand. He would try to at least give them the bare details, just enough to explain why he had panicked like he had.

After a few seconds of silence, Changkyun pushed himself up, climbing done the ladder with none of the gracefulness of a cat and immediately curling into Kihyun’s embrace.

“Can I sit with you?”

Kihyun smiled against the hybrid’s hair, wrapping the youngest up in a tight hug, “Of course you can, but Wonho may try to steal you, at some point.”

Changkyun felt his face heat up, the past few hours had been the closest he’s ever been with Hoseok. He had been _plastered_ against Hoseok’s chest while they _showered together._

“Come on,” Kihyun pulled back, leading Changkyun out of the room in the same way he had lead him into the ocean.

And once again, Changkyun let Kihyun lead him out, knowing that he would always be there to catch him when he fell.

But then Changkyun’s eyes drifted from Hoseok’s smile to the strip of white peaking out from under the singer’s raised sleeve and it felt like he was back underwater.

How had he missed the angry red scratches lining Hoseok’s arms while they were showering?

Hoseok’s eyes followed Changkyun’s line of sight, quickly pulling down his sleeve, but it was already too late.

“H-Hyung, I- I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to- to-”

“Shhhh, it’s okay, Changkyunnie,” Hoseok was up on his feet and across the room in seconds, “It wasn’t your fault. I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that, I didn’t know it-”

“I shouldn’t have pulled you under!” Minhyuk almost shouted, making Changkyun jump slightly as the hyena hybrid covered his mouth with his hands.

“It’s…” Changkyun started, trailing off when he realized what he was going to say, “It’s _not_ okay. I- I told you that I didn’t like water, and Kihyun-hyung had- was starting to make it less scary, but then you did _that_ and I freaked out in- in front of all of you a-and now you must think I’m pathetic.”

Kihyun was back in front of him, pulling Changkyun’s hands away from his face, “Stop that. No one thinks you’re pathetic. You’re scared of water, you’re part cat, or even if there’s something else to it,” He tilted Changkyun’s chin up, and _yup,_ he knew, “We’re your hyungs, that means we need to look after you and keep you safe. Not intentially harm you in any way.” Kihyun turned to look at Minhyuk, but still addressing Changkyun, “What Minhyuk did was really wrong, and he will be getting extra chores for that, but I’m sure he’s sorry.”

Minhyuk kept nodding his head, “I am. I really, really, really am. I’m sorry for pranking you like that, but I just got really jealous when I saw you with Kihyun. I know that I’ve been a big dickhead- Sorry, Ki- but I just…didn’t know how to apologize to you. Jooheon and I were planning something, but I think I might have ruined everything. I just…I’m sorry,” he finished, eyes watery as he looked up at the three of them.

“I was bullied.”

Changkyun hadn’t quite meant to let that slip out, and judging by the looks he recieved in response, none of the others (except Kihyun) had been expecting it, either.

“I was bullied,” Changkyun repeated, figuring that he might as well let it out, “We moved around a lot, when- when I was a kid. I lived in the states, for a bit, and I…they didn’t- I wasn’t _like_ them. I was different. There was a- a group, of kids, and t-they…they…” He was crying again, Kihyun’s arms wrapping around his shoulders to pull him into hug, leaving his next words slightly muffled, but he was grateful for the cover, “One time, t-there was a pool, and- and they kept holding my h-head under and I couldn’t- couldn’t _breathe_ and I passed out, at s-some point, and they left me there. They _left_ and I would ‘ave d-drowned but a teacher- she- I didn’t wanna t-tell her but she _made_ me and then my parents had to- had to get involved and- I-”

“Hey, hey, hey, Kkukkung,” Hoseok’s voice was low and right next to his ear, chest pressed against his back, “Take a deep breath.”

Changkyun listened, breathing in Kihyun’s cologne as he tried to hold it for a few seconds before shakily letting it go.

“Good boy,” Hoseok said, “Keep going.”

Coming back slightly, Changkyun could hear Kihyun’s own crying, feel the way his shoulders were shaking, so he gripped his hyung tighter, one hand reaching back to find Hoseok’s to pull him even closer.

For some reason, he didn’t feel trapped. He felt secure and safe and a little less heavy after sharing something like that.

“You said ‘one time’, did they…” Jooheon started, slowly, looking up at Changkyun without finishing his sentence.

Changkyun nodded.

“No,” Jooheon whispered, hand covering his mouth as his eyes started to water.

“It’s okay,” Kihyun said, “We’ll keep you safe. I promise. I- I’ll kick _anyone’s_ ass that tries to give you shit.”

Changkyun sobbed in relief, laughter mixing in with the cries as the others joined the hug, everyone pressed together with him in the middle.

 

“I think that’s enough crying,” Kihyun laughed after a few minutes, but it sounded watery and his eyes were just as red as Changkyun’s when he pulled away, “I think that this calls for ice cream and bad movies.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk what im doing anymore. ive been too busy with my ikon fics to really care about this one tbh. not a lot of inspo to do it or some shit
> 
> also there was only meant to be this chapter, but im gonna add another to finish the smut scene lmao. just wanted to throw this out there now or something

“Why did you call me a puppy?” Changkyun softly questioned, lifting his head to look back at Hoseok, “You do know I’m a cat, right?”

Hoseok gave a sheepish laugh, “I don’t really know why? To be completely honest, I thought you were, like, a chihuahua when I first saw you, but now I know you’re definitely a cat.”

“Wha’ kind of cat?” Hyungwon asked around the straw in his mouth.

“Balinese.”

“Oh,” Hyungwon removed the plastic, “A what? Is it like a Siamese?”

“It’s-,” Changkyun started, pausing as he looked at his hands, “Yeah? I- I got made fun of a lot because people assumed I was a Siamese, and it only got worse when I said I was a Balinese, but-” He cut himself off, curling up, “Sorry, you didn’t ask.”

Kihyun grabbed the maknae’s hand, resting it on his lap as the hybrid shot him a small smile, “Kyun-ah, you can talk about it, but only if  _ you  _ want to. We’ll always listen.”

“Balinese cats are…they’re like Siamese, but they have longer fur,” Changkyun said, letting his fluffy tail flick out as if to show them, “Someone looked it up, and they always used it against me.”

“Used what?”

“That they started off as Siamese, but ended up becoming a new breed because of a mutation,” Changkyun mumbled, “They weren’t good enough for breeders. A mistake.  _ Unwanted.” _

“Not unwanted, not anymore.”

Changkyun’s head snapped up in surprise, wide eyes catching Minhyuk’s as the hyena hybrid gave him a gentle smile.

“Different,  _ new,  _ doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Sometimes changes need to happen, and new things can form.”

He knew that Minhyuk wasn’t talking about cat breeds, and he couldn’t help the way his heart stuttered a little in response. It would take a while before Changkyun would trust Minhyuk in the same way he trusted Kihyun, or even Hyunwoo, but the fact that the other hybrid was willing to accept him was already such a drastic change from just last night.

“Thanks, hyung,” Changkyun quietly whispered back, shutting his eyes as he leaned further against Hoseok.

His hyung was warm, and Changkyun was still exhausted from the earlier fiasco, not to mention all of the gentle pets he had been receiving.

Speaking of, Changkyun let out a rumbling purr as the second eldest’s hand carded through his hair, practically drunk off of the affection.

“Kkukkungie,” Hoseok whispered just as Changkyun closed his eyes, “I’m really sorry.”

“S’okay, hyung,” Changkyun whispered right back, missing the fond looks from the others, “You were sad. Don’t be sad anymore.”

Hoseok felt his heart squeeze at the slightly slurred words, looking up to see Kihyun watching them with sad eyes.

“But that didn’t mean that we had to make you sad, too,” Hoseok continued to pet at the younger’s ears, feeling a shudder run through Changkyun’s body at the contact.

Changkyun’s tail curled around his arm, “M’used to bein’ sad.”

“So how about that ice cream?” Kihyun said, trying to be subtle as he wiped at his eyes before rushing out of the living room. 

Hoseok felt his own eyes start to water. He knew that Changkyun would be just as affected as what happened as they were, maybe even more so, but hearing it come from the youngest’s mouth was such a slap to the face.

“Nooo, Hoseokkie-hyung,” Changkyun’s voice was slightly higher than normal, “No more sad, remember?” The cat hybrid pouted up at him, butting his forehead against Hoseok’s chin as he rubbed his ears against the elder’s jawline.

He swore Kihyun was going to drop the bowls he was carrying into the room.

“Here, let me help,” Minhyuk said, dark ears twitching against his blonde hair as he jumped up to grab the dishes.

“Minhyuk,  _ helping Kihyun?  _ Well, I never,” Hoseok joked, even though he knew Minhyuk felt guilty as hell.  

Changkyun continued to purr against him, eyes lighting up as he spotted the bowls on the table.

_ Wait-  _ Changkyun was part cat. 

“Kyunnie, can you have ice cream?”

Changkyun nodded at Hoseok’s question, he was one of the rare few that wasn’t really affected by dairy, just as long as he didn’t eat too much at once.

Kihyun and Minhyuk brought in the last bowls, Changkyun snagging a chocolate one from Kihyun’s hands as the vocalist walked by and earning a flick on the nose.

“Dibs that vanilla,” Hyungwon relieved Minhyuk of one of the bowls in his arms, Jooheon picking one up from the table and handing it to Hyunwoo before taking the other.

Kihyun sat on the other side of Changkyun, the hybrid letting out a small  _ trill  _ at the body pressed up against his side, shifting off of Hoseok to sit between the two.

Hoseok grabbed the other vanilla from Kihyun’s hand, thanking the younger as he pushed the ice cream around.

Sometime during the distribution of bowls, Hyungwon and Jooheon had made quick work of the second half of Kihyun’s idea, finding the cheesiest looking rom-com they could and playing it.

 

Honestly, Hoseok was pretty emotionally invested in the movie, the poor lead male having just been rejected by his childhood friend, and  _ damn,  _ he felt that.

Changkyun also seemed pretty into it, for the first few minutes at least, quickly growing tired as he slowly blinked at the TV.

“Kyun-ah, go to sleep if you’re tired,” Kihyun brushed back Changkyun’s fluffy fringe, cooing softly at the way the hybrid pushed against his palm, letting out a soft  _ mewl, _ “Oh my gosh, he slipped.”

Kihyun looked back up, a boxy grin taking up most of his face.

“He what?” Hyungwon drawled from where he was sat sideways in one of the chairs.

“Changkyun slipped,” Kihyun’s smile dimmed slightly, “It was probably from all the touching. Cat hybrids are usually rather affectionate, and judging by what we know, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a little touch starved.”

Minhyuk made a small choking noise, spoon clattering into his bowl as Changkyun flinched against Hoseok, but still staying asleep.

“Is this the first time he’s done it around us?” Hyunwoo asked, mainly directing his question at Kihyun, who answered with a nod.

“As far as I know…” Kihyun trailed off, trying to think back to any times he had seen Changkyun slip, “And if he has, it was never all the way. I don’t think he’s ever gone nonverbal before, but he’s usually so quiet, it would be hard to tell.”

Changkyun gave another low  _ trill, _ the sound vibrating off Hoseok’s collarbone as the maknae turned into him.

“He’s so tiny,” Hoseok mumbled, burying his face in the light brown hair.

“He’s the same height as Kihyun-hyung,” Hyungwon shot back, “But he’ll karate chop you if you say he’s short.”

_ “Shove it, _ beanpole,” Kihyun glared, “And he probably feels lighter because he’s a cat hybrid.”

“How do you know that?” Jooheon asked.

“Yoongi, and my mom is a hamster hybrid.”

“That…” Jooheon paused, “Makes  _ so  _ much sense.”

Kihyun very much looked like a hamster, somehow just missing the ears.

“We should probably get him to bed, but since he won’t let go of his Wonho-hyung…”

Hyungwon snorted, “You’re only saying that because you want an excuse to make him your personal heater.”

 “Yeah,” Hoseok grinned at him, “And what of it?”

Him and Kihyun happened to be rooming together, and Hoseok was more than happy to keep their youngest curled up in his arms, even if it was under the guise of ‘not disturbing him.’

“Alright,” Hyunwoo stood up, softly clapping his hands together, “Bedtime sounds about right. Tomorrow we’ll have a family night, maybe go out for lunch.”

 Hoseok didn’t wait to watch the two eldest hybrids shuffle the sleepy 94 line into their room, but rather got up with Changkyun still cradled in his arms, head lolling onto his shoulder as he followed the shorter male into their room.

“Hyun’?” Changkyun stirred slightly just as Hoseok set him down on the bed, “Stay.”

The hybrid’s voice was soft, eyes still shut even as his fingers tangled with the second eldest’s.

“Yeah, Kkung, I’ll stay,” Hoseok laughed, climbing in next to the shorter male.

Almost immediately, Changkyun curled back against him, “Ki?”

“Right here, love.”

Soon Kihyun joined the two of them, fitting himself along Changkyun’s back as his arms wrapped around the maknae’s waist.

The purring continued as long as the gentle pets did, and even after Changkyun had fallen asleep.

 

He finally felt like he belonged somewhere, like he had found his  _ home. _

 

* * *

 

_ “Hyung.”  _

“Hmmph?”

_ “Hyuuuung,” _ Changkyun whined, letting out a quiet  _ mewl, _ “I feel weird.”

Kihyun was immediately awake, “Weird how?” he asked, ignoring the bright 4:52 AM of the bedside clock to place a hand on the hybrid’s forehead.

Changkyun felt warm, too warm considering he had been fine just hours ago.

No, it was something else.

_ Hybrid. Fever. Hazy eyes. Whiny. _

Kihyun smiled.

“Have you had your first season yet, Kyunnie?” He asked in a soothing voice as he pushed brown locks away from a sweaty forehead.

Changkyun shook his head, “N-No. Is this- Am I? Now?”

“That’s what it’s looking like, baby,” Kihyun supposed it made sense, Changkyun was only 19, barely past the age when first seasons typically hit.

It was probably the stress of what happened earlier, combined with his body probably deeming them as  _ safe  _ enough to allow it to start.

Judging by the fever, Kihyun was willing to bet that Changkyun’s first season was going to come in the form of a heat, meaning they might have to extend their vacation a few days so he could ride it out.

“Seok,” Kihyun tried to shake Hoseok awake but only received a grumble in response, “Hoseok, wake up, you muscle pig.”

“Wha’?” Hoseok didn’t open his eyes, voice rough with sleep, “Go ‘way.”

The rasp in his voice didn’t help Changkyun’s situation, the sight of his hyung’s hard back muscles tensing up under Kihyun’s hand only making him feel hotter.

Changkyun squeezed his eyes shut as he let out a low whine,  _ “Hyung, _ it’s too hot.”

“Puppy?” Hoseok mumbled, “Wha’s wrong, baby?”

“Why do you insist on calling him ‘Puppy’?” Kihyun rolled his eyes, “And I think his first season’s starting.”

Hoseok sat up, “He’s cute, like a puppy. Look at his little puppy eyes. Come here,” he smiled, opening his arms to allow Changkyun to crawl into his lap, “See? A puppy.”

Changkyun butted his head against Hoseok’s jaw,  _ mewing  _ softly. He would never admit it aloud, but he much preferred getting called  _ Puppy _ to  _ Kitten. _ Getting called that was never a nice thing for him, always mocking words and harsh hands following.

“What a good boy,” Hoseok sleepily cooed, making Changkyun blush into his neck, “Little  _ baby.” _

Kihyun snorted, “You disgust me.”

The eldest of the three just shot him another grin.

“So what are we gonna do about this?” 

“Well,” Kihyun hummed, rubbing Changkyun’s back, “I don’t think anything should happen, just because that’s something I would want to talk about before anything.”

“But,  _ hyuuuuuuung.” _

“Oh hush, you big baby,” Kihyun laughed.

No matter how much Changkyun whined or begged for him to do something, Kihyun wouldn’t allow it until he was sure it was actually something Changkyun wanted.

“Not big,  _ little baby.  _ Tiny puppy,” Hoseok said, rocking the hybrid in his lap.

“You’re starting to sound like Minhyuk.”

“Shush.”

“Seriously, when did you become such a  _ hoe?” _

“I’m not! I just like-”

“You are.”

“Yah! I’m  _ your  _ hyung-”

“Doesn’t feel like it, most days-”

_ “Hyungs!” _

Both Hoseok and Kihyun’s mouths snapped shut as they turned towards the maknae, Changkyun’s face was flushed and eyes already glassing over slightly.

“Pay attention to meeeee~” He whined, nipping at Hoseok’s fingers that had drifted to his cheeks.

Surprisingly, Hoseok didn’t pull his fingers away, like Changkyun was expecting. 

No, rather, Hoseok let his fingers dance over the hybrid’s jaw, thumb lightly running over a plush bottom lip.

Both him and Kihyun had picked up on their maknae’s little… _ habit,  _ and he was sure even Hyunwoo was somewhat aware of it.

Changkyun’s oral fixation wasn’t obvious to the point that the others knew, but watching him for even a few minutes would lead you to believe otherwise. Whether it was biting them (Hyunwoo), chewing gum or pen caps or hoodie strings, or even just gnawing at his thumb, their maknae always had his mouth on something. 

Kihyun made eye contact with Hoseok, resting his hands on Changkyun’s hips from behind, “What do you want, baby?”

“Pet me,” Changkyun pouted around the tip of Hoseok’s thumb that was still resting on the waterline of his lip, “Naked pets.”

Hoseok snorted at Kinhyun’s wide-eyed face, “How about the pants stay on,” he said, laughing as Changkyun whined, “For now.”

Even with the hybrid wrapped around him, Hoseok made quick work of removing his shirt, followed by Changkyun’s for the second time that night.

“You’re a heathen,” Kihyun said, only slightly scolding. Truthfully, he wanted Changkyun just as bad as he knew Hoseok did.

Now with Changkyun’s torso bare, Kihyun worked on the maknae’s demand for (semi) naked pets, trailing his hands along the hybrid’s back and sides with the hopes of pulling out more little whines.

Changkyun eagerly nipped on Hoseok’s fingers again, parting his lips when the elder pushed the tip of his finger against the rapper’s tongue.

He made a high keening noise, much higher than any sound he had made before.

“Wan’ more, ‘yung,” Changkyun mumbled around the digit, shooting his best puppy-eyes to Hoseok, his softer (ha) hyung,  _ “Pwease?” _

“Jesus,  _ fuck.  _ Kihyun, I’m weak. I’m so weak,” Hoseok blurted out, “Fucking look at him. Fuck, are you sure we can’t-?”

“Stop swearing, you  _ swine.”  _ Kihyun scolded, even though he could feel his own body responding to the sight, “And…I don’t  _ know, _ I- I’d want to talk about it first.”

“We are talking about it,” Changkyun pulled back to whine the words out, turning the pout up to his shortest hyung, “I want it. I want you. Both of you. Preferably in me.”

Hoseok’s jaw dropped, and Kihyun didn’t think he was any better, “You- I- We- Both? In- In you? Now?” Kihyun sputtered.

“Yes,  _ now.” _

“Have you- Are you sure?” 

Changkyun groaned, pushing his ass against Hoseok’s hard-on,  _ “Yes,”  _ he hissed out, “M’sure.”

“How ‘bout we start with one?” Hoseok breathlessly suggested, “We can take it slow, there’s no rush.”

Changkyun wanted to argue back that he  _ wanted  _ to rush, wanted their cocks in him for a while, but the fact that they’re even willing to entertain his heat-driven rambling was crazy enough to quiet him.

“But first, can I kiss you?”

Nodding eagerly, Changkyun practically jumped to catch Hoseok in a messy kiss, far too eager and far too messy for how early in the morning it was.

The elder winced as the hybrid’s sharp canines nicked his lip, Kihyun edging both of them along with purposefully placed touches and lowly whispered words.

Changkyun seemed to kiss like he was trying to claim you, like if he licked far enough, he’d be able to reach your soul.

“That’s right, baby,” Kihyun kissed along the youngest’s nape, nosing at slick skin as he carded his fingers through light brown hair, “You and Seokkie look so pretty like this.”

He knew how Hoseok touched, Kihyun having been on the receiving end numerous times.

Hoseok touched you like you were something precious. Like you were special and priceless and meant the world to him.

Kihyun was rougher, firm yet still gentle in the way he positioned you, lead you.

It was such a sharp contrast between the two, and Changkyun almost couldn’t keep up.

Hands in his hair, on his waist, thighs. Lips on his neck, on his own. He whined.

“It’s okay, Kyun-ah,” Kihyun cooed, “Your hyungs are with you, we’re gonna take care of you.”

Hoseok pulled back, Changkyun’s lips chasing his as he started mouthing at the singer’s neck, “Hyung, hyung, hyung,” the rapper chanted, “Please, someone touch me,  _ please.” _

Kihyun chuckled at him, helping Changkyun lay down against his chest, “Hoseok-ah, show Kyunnie just how good your fingers are, just how good you are.”

Changkyun whined slightly as his bottoms were gingerly lowered, soft palms massaging his ass as Kihyun continued to pet down his back.

“There, you gonna show us how good you are, Kyunnie?”

The cat hybrid nodded against Kihyun’s neck, lightly suckling at a sharp collarbone as Hoseok shifted behind him before warm fingers trailed just under the base of his tail.

The eldest of the three circled his fingers over Changhyun’s hole, trying to work up more of the hybrid’s slick before teasing him with one.

Changkyun groaned at the feeling, shifting his hips to try and push the finger deeper, “Hyuuung,” he whined, trying to concentrate on the feeling of Kihyun’s cool hands on his feverish skin, “Seok-hyung, m’not gonna break.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> meh hi follow my twitter @MVgetanAttitude
> 
> i mainly cry about hanbin but changkyun makes appearances too

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I know that I already used the cat Hybrid + water + bad memories = sad bias trope for the first Kitty Bin fic but I do what I want so  
> Fight me (ง •̀_•́)ง 
> 
> I have a second chapter done that’s just a fluffy fix-it, worry not. 
> 
> Sorry Minhyuk. 
> 
> Thank y’all sm for reading this!! Please please leave a comment and kudos, I really appreciate each one!!
> 
> I’m 100% down to take requests
> 
> My [twitter](https://twitter.com/MVforVictory) is @MVforVictory be my friend
> 
> (Just like my Kitty Bin fics, I plan on expanding this into a series)  
> (And again, just like my Kitty Bin fics, there will be smut later)
> 
> Sorry this is so ADHD I stayed up all night writing it, it’s currently 6 am and I haven’t slept woooooo
> 
> G’night


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